Radboudumc Center of Expertise for Muscular Diseases

About the Radboudumc center of expertise

At the Radboudumc Centre of Expertise for Muscular Diseases, 1,500 children and adults are seen each year with a variety of muscle diseases, also called neuromuscular disorders. There are more than 600 different muscle diseases, and more than 200,000 people in the Netherlands have a muscle disease. We specialise in both some common and some lesser-known muscle diseases, and are part of the (inter)national centres of expertise for these conditions.

Many patients are referred with the question of whether they may have a muscle disease. They have symptoms that may fit this, such as muscle weakness, muscle pain, muscle fatigue, difficulty walking, decreased sensation, or difficulty speaking and swallowing. These patients are seen at the diagnostic consultation hour by a neurologist (in training).

Other patients already have a diagnosis of muscle disease and are referred for specific treatment advice, for example. These patients are often seen at specialised consultations. Examples are the consultations for neuralgic amyotrophy (plexus clinic), facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) and a transition clinic for children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who become adults. There is also a children's muscle centre within the Amalia Children's Hospital.

Within the Radboudumc Expertise Centre for Muscular Diseases, there is collaboration between neurology, (paediatric) rehabilitation, paediatric neurology, clinical genetics and (paediatric) cardiology.